


To the Young Ones

by BoxOnTheNile



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Found Family, M/M, RvB Fluff Week, Trans Tucker, as is my normal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-13 13:28:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14113347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoxOnTheNile/pseuds/BoxOnTheNile
Summary: secretlystephaniebrown: Fluff Week: Wash meets Junior for the first time.The next message from Junior is literally the letters "omw".





	To the Young Ones

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hinn_Raven](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hinn_Raven/gifts).



> hinn_raven zeroed in on literally the best thing they could've sent me and i'm dead. i'm also dead over their fill for my prompt but that's a different discussion.

Wash is still learning where he stands with the Sim Troopers when he sees Tucker shirtless for the first time. There’s half a dozen scars across his arms and torso, but three stand out: two curving neatly under his pecs, and one long and jagged sitting to the right of his navel.

Tucker doesn’t notice him staring for long moments, busy trying to wrangle Caboose into a chair for breakfast, but when he does he scowls and gestures to the surgical scars. “You got a fuckin’ problem?”

“No!” he says quickly, remembering Connie and how- but his heart feels like it’s seizing and he stops the thought there. “No, just… what happened?”

“I thought that was obvious, dude.”

“I mean the other one.”

“Oh, yeah. Battlefield C-sections by underqualified medics aren’t great.”

And then Caboose drops and shatters a full pot of coffee and that’s that.  
\--

After the shipwreck, when they trust him, when they’re seeing the worst of how broken he really is, Tucker and Caboose sit with him and just talk. About where they grew up, about Blood Gulch, about their families.

Caboose has seventeen sisters. Tucker says all he has is his son, and he traces the scar through his shirt.

Wash hopes that one day, the two get back to their families. He’s determined to make it happen.

The next day, they finally get the radio tower working.  
\--

Tucker gets a new scar near his left hip, a horrible parallel to the one that brought his son into the world, and Wash is terrified he’s going to lose what little family he has left.  
\--

The days after the Staff of Charon falls are a whirlwind of activity. The Sim Troopers barely escape the wreckage, and even then Grif medically dies on the operating table three times before Doctor Grey gets him stable. But they’re all alive, and Chorus is being flooded with messages from the UNSC, from sixteen different Earth governments, from dozens of nearby colonies offering aid until they get back on their feet.

And one message no one can understand until they play it for Tucker, and he bursts into tears.

“It’s Junior,” he says, not bothering to pull himself together. (He’s holding Wash’s hand too tight, and Wash lets him.) “It’s Junior, it’s my fucking kid, Kimball, please tell me we have a way to reply.”

General Kimball(there’s talk of elections but everyone knows they will be a formality, that the people of Chorus will follow her to ends of the universe) is quiet for a moment, mouthing numbers to herself. “The comms are nearly overloaded at the moment, but we could probably send a message back saying Junior is welcome here.” 

Tucker stops fucking _breathing_ for a moment. “Thank you,” he whispers. “Fuck, ‘Nessa, thank you.”

She’s so obviously exhausted, but she smiles at him. “I’ve seen too many parents bury their children, Tucker. If I can help just one find theirs, then I can count today as a win.”

The next message from Junior is literally the letters _omw_.

Caboose is still on bedrest when Junior makes it to Chorus and Red Team(Simmons) won’t leave Grif’s side, so Tucker and Wash go to meet the ship on their own. Wash tenses when the juvenile Sangheili strolls down the boarding ramp(he knew Junior was an alien but he was a soldier before Freelancer, he’s seen what they’re capable of) but Tucker sprints, scooping Junior into his arms(it’s a struggle- Junior is nearly as tall as him).

“Wash, come meet my kid!” Tucker yells at him, dragging Junior back down the ramp.

“Hello?” Wash tries. Junior stares at him for a long moment before he makes a sound like an angry swan and Tucker laughs.

“Yeah, cut him some slack. He can’t talk to humans either.”

“Hey!” But Junior is making more waterfowl calls that sound far too much like laughter, and Tucker is grinning at him and- oh.

This is what families do.

Wash smiles back. “Alright, maybe you’re right.”

“Bitch I’m always right.” He leans to kiss Wash, and Junior’s honking laughter morphs to a disgusted noise.

Chorus is scarred, and Epsilon is gone, but maybe things are okay.


End file.
